2014-02-21 — Keith Thelen
Ah, Friday again – and time for another Junkyard Outtake! It’s a great day to be a CC reader, but a bad day to be an inoperable Saab, BMW, Audi, Volvo, or Mercedes.
This week, we venture off the U-Pull’s beaten paths, and head into the vast uncharted wilderness known as the Import Section – a place where anything goes, and everything’s for sale (provided it unbolts… sorry, no torches allowed).
Let’s see what surprises await!
Last week I was in need of some cheap tires for a car I was working on. And since rubber is an equal-opportunity commodity, I decided to see if some good ones were hiding on any of these foreign cars.
Be aware, my vehicular expertise pertains almost exclusively to GM products, so I may well be overlooking things. If you see something I missed, know that it’s not intentional – and please jump down to the Comments section and point it out for the benefit of all.
Okay, now… let’s get to it!
Let’s start off with a bang – a fitting contrast to this 9-5’s days of service, which likely ended with a whimper.
No body damage. Which do you suppose got it – sludge, head gasket, or failed transmission?
Judging by the driver’s seat, I’d say this one put down plenty of miles before arriving here.
This little red Beemer once had a lot going for it – bright color, two doors, three pedals, and a six cylinder good for 160hp. But now? Not so much.
Off with its head!
Well-worn interior.
Too bad. Especially considering that it’s not falling-apart rusty, I bet some ChumpCar team would have been all over it. (There’s actually a participating track up in Brainerd, just a couple hours north of this yard.)
All-wheel drive may get you moving on snowy roads, but it won’t make you stop any quicker. Just ask this A8’s former owner.
That looks like all kinds of not-fun to work on.
Dummy lights. Can you ever have enough?
Bye-bye, Audi.
Wagon!
Window! Wait, that’s not a window – that’s a piece of plastic sheeting coated in silver spray-paint.
Pretty basic interior.
No turbo here.
Chalk up one more 9000 sighting.
I’m a bit surprised to see a flash of red still greeting me under this hood. Aren’t direct ignition cassettes still a “money” part?
No surprises here… tan leather and an auto-tragic transaxle.
At least it still has one of its trademark three-spoke alloy wheels.
Better make that two of its trademark alloy wheels.
What is this – Junk Your Silver Audi day?
This A4 was only a few rows away from its bigger sibling.
Junkyard intake. Straight body. Not good signs, mechanically speaking.
If this one’s leather is any indication, it lived a full life prior to whatever issue took it down.
I noticed this insignia on the wheel. Is that like finding an “M” on a BMW, or just standard badging?
What’s better than one rusted-out Volvo wagon? No Two rusted-out Volvo wagons!
At least this one still has all its glass.
Backwards on the stinger… niiiice. (Remember when I said it had all its glass? Looks like I stand corrected.)
True to form, this wagon has covered over 328,000 miles.
Bang! Another Saab.
Turbo? What turbo?
Another one with cracking leather an an automatic. Looks like someone took a gamble on the SID – the only interior part that’s been sold so far.
Too bad so few of these first-gen 9-3s make it to old age, what with the sludge epidemic… this one’s top, front clip, and other normally sought-after parts are in great shape.
Our tour ends with this diesel Benz, a ’79 300D that was manually two-toned with a rattle can by a former owner. I would have shot more of it, but someone was hard at work under its hood.
Next week’s Junkyard Outtake will take us back to the Back Forty for more old iron. What section will we do next? Check back and find out!
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